the iPhone and Pinoy

With Apple's iPhone already out on the streets, it'll only be a matter of time before it falls in the hands of the people who will use it the most: the Filipino Rich Kid (PRK from this point on in the article).

Yes, folks, you read right. If you're in the Philippines, do not expect the iPhone to show up on the hands of the business elite just yet; instead, watch for it in malls, universities, and in some extreme cases, inside high school classrooms, well before it hits the hands of the Filipino business community.

Don't expect the half the users to know half the iPhone's functions, either. Among the advertised features of the iPhone (read: Cellphone + Internet Browser + iPod + kitchen sink), probably the ones they will use will be text messaging, calls, camera, and music player.

"But hey," you say, "My cellphone can already do all that at less than half the cost of the iPhone!"

EVERYONE KNOWS THAT. But not everyone knows that cellular phones in the Philippines are like luxury sports cars in other countries. They're not used for their primary purpose (In the case of cars, transportation. You figure it out for cellphones). They're status symbols.

So, while you may throw the occasional look of Gee, I wish I had a phone like that... at PRKs hanging out at the mall, think about how they had to spend more than twice the amount you paid for your phone to be able to do what your phone can do (the iPhone has a 2-megapixel camera, some existing phones have 3 and even 5-megapixel ones), smile to yourself, and walk away.